Athletics

By David Tayau; editorial contributions by Hunter Cookston Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU)’s baseball team celebrated the dedication of the Bobby Goodfriend Field and the Wendy Goodfriend Press Box at Athens Insurance Stadium on Friday, April 17 in Athens. “Tonight we honored the present with the people that built the foundation, and that is what made tonight so special,” said TWU Baseball Coach Billy Berry. TWU leadership thanked 500 generous donors, alumni, and friends who were present. A generous donation from Dr. Bobby Goodfriend and his wife Wendy funded significant improvements to Tennessee Wesleyan University’s facilities. These improvements included the installation of lighting, a new video scoreboard, and the expansion of the outfield wall. At the event, Donny Mayfield, TWU’s VP for Athletics, recognized Bobby and Wendy Goodfriend, welcoming them on the field in concert with a video recognizing all the donors of the project. TWU would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to Bobby and Wendy Goodfriend, who, through this investment, have left a lasting mark on the history of Tennessee Wesleyan University. The student-athletes, coaches, staff, and the Wesleyan community will be forever grateful to you. The Bulldogs capped off this magnificent celebration with a 12-2 victory over Milligan. Congratulations, thank you very much, and go Bulldogs!

By Hunter Cookston The Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) baseball team hosted Bluefield College for a weekend Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) series. TWU secured three wins by scores of 12-0, 9-2, and 8-0. Game one saw the Bulldogs jump out to a 4-0 lead after a grand slam by Cody McGill. TWU did not look back, adding three more runs in the following inning. Thomas Teel also hit a home run in the contest. McGill and Teel combined for nine RBIs, while Reece Jordan and Jonathan Bosque each added an RBI. Justin Jackson threw a complete game, allowing just two hits while striking out nine. The Bulldogs did not waste any time in game two, scoring two runs in the first inning. After a five-run sixth inning, TWU put the game away. The offense stayed hot, collecting 11 hits. Jordan was a force on the basepaths with four stolen bases. Kolton Reynolds, David Ballenilla, and Brayan Espinoza led the team with two hits each. Cameron Goffar earned the win, pitching six innings with six strikeouts. Isaiah Williams and Bradley Johnson held it down in relief, allowing just one hit over three innings. Coach Billy Berry’s team was no different in game three, as TWU showed complete dominance and secured its second shutout of the series. Allan Gil Fernandez belted a three-run blast in the sixth inning to put the finishing touches on the win. Reynolds, Ballenilla, Espinoza, and Teel recorded RBIs. McGwire Taylor was dominant on the mound, tossing six innings and striking out five. Carson Clark worked an inning of relief to close out the game for the Bulldogs. TWU dominated the weekend, outperforming Bluefield in every facet of the game. The Bulldogs will return to action on April 1 at No. 6 University of the Cumberlands before a crucial AAC road series against No. 14 Reinhardt University on Easter weekend. Photos by Dakota CaldwellEdited by Dakota Caldwell

By Bulldog Beat Staff The Tennessee Wesleyan University (TWU) women’s lacrosse team have made a major turnaround in 2026, currently winners of six straight heading into conference play, Wednesday. The Lady Bulldogs have started the season 8-2, following a 6-10 record in 2025. The experience-loaded roster boasts eight seniors, helping build a new culture with second-year head coach Lorna Schoemehl. “We’ve been able to communicate and figure out our weaknesses in games and make those changes pretty fast,” senior goalkeeper Rylee Brendlinger said. Two of those seniors, Brendlinger (defense) and Kylie Heinrich (offense), recently received Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) weekly honors. The award was Brendlinger’s second of the season, joined earlier year by Aava Downey, who earned offensive Player of the Week honors. Heinrich currently sits second in the conference in points with 48. “Working together as a unit has helped us eliminate unnecessary mistakes and focus on the task at hand,” added Brendlinger. During their six-game win streak, the Lady Bulldogs are averaging 16 goals, outscoring their opponents 96-42, and for the season are making 54% of their shots. “(The six-game win streak) has helped us a lot with our confidence,” said senior attacker Kate Buchanan. “We’ve never won this many games before this year so it just proves we can actually work together and do great things.” TWU heads into conference play facing No.6 Reinhardt University, hoping to carry their momentum into their first of two top-10 matchups over the next two weeks. The preseason coaches’ poll predicted TWU to finish No.4, behind NAIA No.2 Cumberlands (Ky.) and No.6 Reinhardt. “We all really want to win and want this year to be our year,” said senior midfielder Jozlyn Long. “I think we just need to finish strong. A lot of people underestimated us and that has been motivating.” Story by Sports Broadcasting & Production ClassInterview by Roni BaileyPhotos by Daveion Smith

Bulldogs produce 2 national qualifiers and earn multiple All-Conference finishes By Roni Bailey The Tennessee Wesleyan track and field team, after a hard-fought indoor season, recorded several strong performances at the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) Indoor Track and Field Conference Championships, resulting in shiny medals as souvenirs to bring home and multiple All-Conference honors to remember. Matt Murphy led the Bulldogs, winning the men’s triple jump with a mark of 14.5 meters to claim the conference championship. Dakota Caldwell also won the 3000m race walk. These performances qualified them a place as our 2 national qualifiers. Tennessee Wesleyan also recorded two conference runner-up finishes. Lisa Sochen threw 12.11m in shot put, and KT Buchanan ran a 21.65 in 200m, each placing second in their events, earning All-Conference recognition. Grace Clemens and the men’s 4×800-meter relay team added third place finishes to earn All-Conference honors. Head coach Adrian Hutchins praised the team’s resilience throughout the meet, especially in the relays. “They continued to fight through it, especially in the 4×4” he said. The men finished 4th overall in the meet. Some notable performances are Roni Bailey, who placed fourth in the men’s 400-meter dash in 49.41 seconds. Dani Meisen finished fourth in the men’s 600 meters (1:21.47) and fifth in the 1,000 meters (2:28.81). Stephen Kerley placed fourth in the 1,000 meters (2:28.79) and fifth in the 800 meters (1:56.30). On the women’s side, Clemens also placed fourth in the 60-meter dash (7.96). The women’s 4×400 relay team of Clemens, Joelle Bixby, Ann Moses, and Sariyah Cox finished fifth in 4:18.55, while Moses placed sixth in the 60-meter hurdles (9.93). Payton Manis placed sixth in the high jump (1.47 meters) and eighth in the triple jump (9.67 meters). Lydia Wever finished seventh in the 3,000-meter race walk (30:24) and helped the women’s 4×800 relay team to an eighth-place finish alongside Kaelyn Pluta, Chloe Dailey, and Victoria Verran (12:54.42). The results reflect how hard the bulldogs work throughout the indoor season and set the stage for Murphy and Caldwell’s appearance at the NAIA Indoor National Championship, while the rest of the team gets ready for the outdoor season in good spirits, focusing on one goal: to win as a family. “I think the biggest thing for us is continuing to clean up the little things,” coach H said. “Outdoor season gives us more opportunities to grow, get better technically and continue building confidence in our events.” Coach H also emphasized the team’s mindset moving forward. “I think the team is motivated going into outdoor,” Hutchins said. “Indoor conference showed us some things we did well and some areas where we can get better. The mindset now is to keep working, trust the process and take advantage of the opportunities we have during outdoor season. Each practice, each rep, each day is an opportunity to improve.” Photos by Dakota CaldwellInterview by Payton ManisEdited by Hunter Cookston

By Cody McGill The Tennessee Wesleyan men’s basketball team has had a successful year so far in the 25-26 season. The Bulldogs have a season record of 10-10 and a conference record of 9-7. Nearing the end of its season, the Bulldogs will make a conference tournament appearance where they look to keep the season alive and make the national tournament.  Hosting the Truett McConnell Bears on February 18, 2026, the Bulldogs gained another victory. They outscored the Bears in the first half, scoring 39 points. Leading the scoring in the first half was JJ Rueckert with 10 points, with Reshaun Hampton and Stratton Lovvorn both scoring 8. The second half was pure domination from guard Reshaun Hampton, scoring 20 points on 100% from the field. Hampton would ultimately finish with 28 points, leading the Bulldogs to a win of 83-79.   Heading into the last two games of the regular season against Columbia (SC) and Milligan (TN), the Bulldogs look for a 3-game win streak going into the conference tournament. They are setting their sights on a good conference tournament run. You can hear from Reshaun Hampton, Sohn McGee, and Charles Neverdon about the game and how they shift their sights going into the postseason.  Photo by Rob GordonInterview by Roni BaileyEdited by Jacob StephensonVideo Editing by Hunter CookstonFilming and Editorial Assistance by Daveion Smith

By David Tayau Tennessee Wesleyan University’s men’s tennis team is off to a blazing start this season, quickly making a name for itself on the national stage. The season began in January with conditioning sessions as the Bulldogs worked to get back in shape. Tennessee Wesleyan opened its schedule Jan. 28 with a dominant 7-0 road victory against Emory in Georgia. The Bulldogs continued their winning ways against Cumberland, Kentucky, 6-1. The matchup consisted of three doubles matches and six singles matches. The No. 3 men’s tennis team went on the road to face the Emory University Eagles, an NCAA Division III opponent, who is ranked No. 6. Tennessee Wesleyan fell in a close one 4-3. Emory went ahead first, winning the doubles point. Agustin Gaia and Maceo Simpson were victorious in the No. 3 doubles match 6-3. In the singles matches, David Leon, Asier Pascual and Chanon Phunsawat won respective matches. Leon (6-2, 7-5) won the No. 3 singles, Pascual (6-2, 6-4) won the No. 4 match, and Phunsawat (7-6, [8-6], 6-1) won the No. 6 singles. Following the match, Tennessee Wesleyan moved to 3-1 on the season. The national office announced the first regular season poll for men’s tennis, and after opening at No. 3 in the preseason rankings, Tennessee Wesleyan maintained its spot in the 2026 NAIA Men’s Tennis Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. The Bulldogs earned 279 voting points and remained the highest ranked team in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Tennessee Wesleyan sits with a 3-2 record overall with a win over No. 8 University of the Cumberlands and the other wins against Emory University, one of the top teams in NCAA Division III. On Feb. 13, the Bulldogs won 4-0 against Lindsey Wilson in a home game. They followed it up with a 4-1 win on Feb. 14 against Keizer. On Feb. 15, It was a battle throughout, but No. 3 @twu_tennis was not able to turn the score in their favor, falling in the championship match of the 2026 ITA NAIA Men’s Team Indoor Championships 4-1 against No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett College. The Bulldogs finished as the runner-up after a hard fought battle. Tennessee Wesleyan finished the season just short of its ultimate goal, but the Bulldogs will regroup and return next year determined to capture the championship. Edited by Hunter Cookston. Photo by Dakota Caldwell